Digital Advertising Spends Increases in 2007

More about that in AdAge's annual survey.

Press Release: Popularmedia Launches Social Media Marketing Suite

Advanced Reports, Analytics and Optimization Engine Drives Sales, Leads, and Revenue through the Power of Consumer Social Networks

San Francisco, CA - May 6, 2008 - PopularMedia, the leading provider of social media marketing solutions, today announced a suite of products designed to help companies maximize the impact of online word-of-mouth channels to deliver leads, sales and revenue growth through trusted consumer social networks.

"Marketers and publishers alike are wrestling with how to monetize social media," said Jim Calhoun, CEO of PopularMedia. "Our suite of solutions are proven to deliver more value to advertisers, more engaging experiences for consumers, and better results through the power of predictive analytics and optimization."

The social media marketing suite allows marketers and agencies to publish, measure, and optimize online word-of-mouth programs; identify and target influential consumers and social networks; and facilitate consumer-to-consumer sharing through email, blogs, and social network sites. PopularMedia's technology measures and optimizes every aspect of its online word-of-mouth programs, including consumer-to-consumer sharing activity, impact on transactions, targeted consumer actions, and consumer messaging and applies sophisticated algorithms to optimize campaign performance.

To date, PopularMedia programs have touched over 40 million consumers. IGG.com, Oddcast, Omaha Steaks, Shoebuy, and Zecco are just a sample of customers, agencies and partners that have identified influential consumers and are generating real ROI through PopularMedia's solutions.

PopularMedia's social media marketing suite consists of enterprise-level strategic products and services and easy-to-use sharing tools, all delivered on a Software as a Service platform.

• PopularMedia Conversation, the company's flagship product, is a word-of-mouth campaign management platform allowing marketers to create, publish and test a range of social media experiences. The system uses predictive analytics to identify the combination of factors that will lead to maximum distribution through social networks while achieving a marketer's targeted objectives.
• PopularMedia Insights provides real-time, actionable intelligence into consumers' online social activities, motivations, and technology usage, enabling marketers to make more informed marketing decisions.
• PopularMedia Importer is an easy to configure web service API which lets website visitors quickly import contact information from their existing web-based address books. Importing from Yahoo, Gmail, AOL, MSN/Hotmail and LinkedIn is supported. Users get easy access to their address books. PopularMedia Importer is available free at http://www.popularmedia.com/solutions/api_form.php. Real-time usage reporting is available for an additional fee.

"PopularMedia allows us to enable an important distribution service to our users. Our users create user-generated avatars and constantly share their speaking avatars with their friends and family. Through PopularMedia Importer, we can empower our users to easily and seamlessly select from their various address books rather than having to manually type in contact emails, which inspires the 'send-along process' and drives a greater level of viral distribution for our users' creations and ultimately, our products and platforms."

Consumers are flooded with information from a variety of channels, and are turning away from traditional media networks in favor of personal, socially connected networks. This shift has turned consumers into powerful influencers who directly impact a marketer's bottom line. In October 2007, a Nielsen study found that consumer recommendations are the most trusted form of advertising around the world. Over three-quarters of respondents from 47 markets across the world rated recommendations from consumers as a trusted form of advertising.

Availability

PopularMedia's social media marketing suite is available direct from the company or through its growing network of agency partners. Clients can select products based on their need or purchase the Influencer Edition which combines PopularMedia Insights, PopularMedia Conversation, and creative and strategic services to help clients quickly deploy high impact social media marketing programs.

About PopularMedia

PopularMedia offers a suite of social media marketing solutions and services that help global brands and agencies turn consumers into powerful influencers. Our solutions leverage social and online media networks to create fast-growing, sustainable, and measurable word-of-mouth (WOM) programs that deliver new customers, leads, sales, and targeted traffic, and a socially connected consumer database for future marketing initiatives. PopularMedia has created programs for more than 125 customers across the publishing, entertainment, e-commerce, financial services, technology, and telecom industries. PopularMedia is based in San Francisco and backed by Sequoia Capital and Steamboat Ventures. For more information, please visit: www.popularmedia.com

Globe and Mail Article: Canadian Forces mine benefits of 3-D sims

Read it here.

May Reading List

• Herodotus - The Histories (Still at it),
• Marcus-Aurelius - The Meditations (second or third reading, still good and inspirational)
• Marketing Channels - Coughlan, Anne; Anderson, Erin; Stern, Louis W.
  
• Engaging Learning: Designing e-Learning Simulation Games - Clark N. Quinn
  

PRESS RELEASE: Adler Direct Launches Free New Direct Marketing Resource at AdlerDirect.com

Articles, Blogs, and Case Studies are being made available for Numerous Industries Including Real Estate, Auto Dealerships, Insurance Industry, Plastic Surgery, Fitness Facilities, and Retail. Content covers Direct Mail, Email Marketing, and Personal URLs, as well as the latest communication strategies.

Charlotte, NC (PRWEB) May 5, 2008 -- Adler Direct, a division of Adler Marketing Group has just launched a comprehensive and free resource to help companies learn more about direct marketing and email marketing. The site is updated frequently with some of the newest content available.

"We're very excited about this new resource," said Cisco Adler, President of Adler Direct. "Few companies are in the position to really understand how to make their direct marketing more successful. We help educate them on the importance of testing, tracking, and frequency."

With numerous clients in multiple industries, Adler Direct has years of experience in all aspects of direct marketing and email marketing and looks to share this experience with companies.

"When I talk to new clients I tell them about the 4T's of direct marketing. Usually, they say 'you mean the 4P's?' and I say, 'no, the 4T's - Test, Track, Test, Track! In sales, they say to "always be closing." In direct marketing, you must "always be testing!"

With all the new integrated marketing strategies using direct mail and email strategies and technologies such as Personal URLs, there is so much opportunity for marketers today. Just never forget the importance of the list, the message, the creative, and product/service.

About Adler Direct
Adler Direct is a Charlotte-based direct marketing company located in Lake Norman North Carolina. Founded by Cisco Adler of Adler Marketing Group, Adler Direct is a premier direct marketing strategist and provides turnkey direct mail and email marketing for companies in numerous industries. For more information contact Cisco Adler at Cisco @ AdlerDirect.com

Monster.com Founder Starts Social Networking Site for the Dead

Wired has it all here. I'd rather keep photos of my dear departed ones. Or hold on to their ashes.

'The Truth About Casual Gaming'?

Nice rosy article about the state of 'casual gaming'. Once again, we can sense that some things are better left unsaid (what? The biggest sellers are casino games? Couldn't be... Aren't they thriving in a grey legal area?). Anyway, I'm getting myself a coffee after reading this. I'm not really civilized when I hear these things...

'Grand Theft Auto" simplifies song purchasing

Could it be that mindless violence and the old American 'self-made man' ethics makes players crave certain songs? Click here to read a Billboard article on the use of video games to sell mp3.

MTV Keeps Up With Digital Teen Culture

Grassroot promotional efforts, play up the branded-entertainment content, social media... Yep. MTV is sure doing well on the Web. Read an Adage interview with MTV Networks Chairman-CEO Judy McGrawth after the jump.

Washington Post, others introduce online bracket-style games

In a bid to regain a little bit more readership, and probably add value as well, the Washington Post has added some promotional games to its usual fare. Read all about it here.

NY Gets Tough On Piracy

Strange but true... Click here to read Cinematical's post.

Microsoft Gets In On ITune Action

Zune service to compete with online titan, iTunes -- Microsoft is finally going after the TV download market with its Zune device and online network. More in this Hollywood Reporter article.

Ian Bogost on In-Game Advertising

Tauted a couple of years ago as the best way to advertise to 18-34, in-game ads have yet to fulfill this promise. Here's a nice article on the subject written by Ian Bogost in the Guardian. Click here to read the whole thing.